I am sure that anyone who loves cars and street racing has seen at least one of the movies from the wildly popular "The Fast and The Furious" franchise.

I am sure that anyone who loves cars and street racing has seen at least one of the movies from the wildly popular "The Fast and The Furious" franchise.

I love the way these movies mix different styles of cars, from import tuners to classic muscle cars and everything in between. None of the vehicles are as memorable as the muscle car star in the first Fast and The Furious movie. Of course I am talking about the 1970 Dodge Charger owned by Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel).

The Charger is painted black with chrome rims. It sports a gigantic 426 cubic inch Hemi engine with a roots style supercharger and fuel injection, along with some serious nitrous oxide. The car also has a heavy duty 4 speed manual transmission, Dana 60 rear end with gearing set up for the drag strip. Now that's a serious power package!

This car also has all the safety features required of a 9 second quarter mile drag car: 10 point roll cage, bucket seats, and safety harnesses. Lastly, most of the interior is done in sheet-metal, and there is no rear seat.

Now about Ertl`s 1:18th scale die-cast replica. How does it compare to the actual movie car? Well, I like the overall quality of the replica especially the paint work. Also the undercarriage is very accurately detailed. The engine bay is where we run into a bit of a snag. When you open the hood, you are not greeted with a mammoth supercharged 426 cubic inch hemi engine, but rather a supercharged 440, which is nothing to sneeze at but is a different engine altogether.

So I was a little disappointed with the engine bay. Not only does it have the wrong engine, Ertl left out alot of the most rudimentary detailing, like spark plug wiring or plumbing for the injectors. Overall, as far as the engine compartment goes, there is room for serious improvement.

I feel that the reason for some of the difference`s in the real car and this replica is the fact that this was a re-release of a earlier car by Ertl called a 1970 Charger street machine. So, I figure, to save on the tooling costs they cut a few corners......BAH!

Don't let me mislead you, The car is still a great toy featuring an opening hood, opening doors, functional steering, accurate interior, roll-cage. The model is made from sturdy die-cast metal, plastic, PVC and rubber. Making this model not just a nice replica, but it is also a nice solid toy. Case and point: When I was not around my 8 year old got his hands on it. Unbelievably it survived! All I had to do was rub his finger prints off the paint and throw back on the shelf. Having this little scare happen, made me totally satisfied with the ruggedness of this car. But, maybe I was lucky, LOL, so I hope he doesn't go after it again!

With that aside I would have to say this is one of my all time favorite cars ever. That is unless Ertl was to make a 1/18 scale replica of Blade`s 1968 Charger, now that would be freakin' bad-ass.

I would suggest that if you are a fan of cars to check out the rest of the series, especially part 4. Which is probably my favorite movie is the franchise so far, yes the 1970 Charger is back and badder than ever.

I definitively would recommend this car as a "must have" addition to your die-cast collection.

In 2005 The Batmobile alias the Tumbler hit the big screen in the Christopher Nolan directed film Batman Begins. The style of the new vehicle is more based on the Frank Miller tank like creation seen in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel......

Today I will be reviewing the Hotwheels 1/18 scale Tumbler aka Batmobile.

"The Beginning of Batman`s Tumbler"

I searched across the internet to get as much info I could about the Tumbler/Batmobile.
I got alot of the info from Wikipedia and How stuff works, both are great sites to gather info! check them out.

2005 The Batmobile alias the Tumbler hit the big screen in the Christopher Nolan directed film Batman Begins. The style of the new vehicle is more based on the Frank Miller tank like creation seen in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel. The film's production designer described the machine as a cross between a Lamborghini and a Tank. In the Nolan films the vehicle is never referred to as the "Batmobile", only as the "Tumbler". One of the main men responsible for design work on the Tumbler is Nathan Crowley.

In "Batman Begins" Bruce Wayne is introduced to a one off prototype built for the military to be able to jump spans pulling cables in order to bridge the span. Bruce is impressed by the vehicle so much that he decides to take it and use it in his personal war against Gotham`s worst.

Here is a list of some of the "Tumbler's" capabilities:

Rear flaps for brake
Front auto-cannons
Rocket launcher
Landing hook for landing stabilization
Integrated fire-extinguishing system
Integrated safety connection to gasoline control
Jet engine on back of car for quick boosts/ramp-less jumps
Stealth mode, which turns off the car's lights and reduces the engine sound enormously, making the car very hard to find in dark places
Road spikes can be deployed from the rear of the vehicle. Batman uses this to immobilize a police vehicle following him.
Front of car is heavily armored, so the car can crash into and destroy objects, and also protects the driver while in the "Attack" mode driving position.
Both front wheels can eject when the vehicle is damaged to form the Bat-pod, a bat-cycle like vehicle (the rest self-destructs).

Now let`s get down to how the car was built. Nathan Crowley started creating the Batmobile by model bashing. Model bashing is a technique where you go to a toy store, hobby shop, hardware store and gather parts of every shape and size. You then cut and shape all of those parts to get the desired look for the car. Nathan built six models like this, all 1:12 scale, before he got the look and the shapes that he wanted. Once he had the scale model, he started on a full-size replica.

The next part of the process was taking a Styrofoam block and carved it by hand. They carved everything, including things like the rubber tires. The first goal is to get all of the proportions right at full-scale. this car is 9 feet 4 inches wide. That's 8 inches wider than the typical 18-wheeler!

The second goal is to have a full-size model that can be used to make things like the body-panel molds and the frame. The car has 65 separate body panels, and each one had to be manufactured on a custom-made wooden mold. To make the steel frame, the Styrofoam model was cut up to get accurate sizing and panel mounting points for the frame. With all this work done the design team built a test frame.

The team went ahead and manufactured four complete, street-ready race cars. Each of these four cars cost about $250,000 to build. These "race" versions of the Batmobile are the cars that careened through the streets of Chicago during filming. From the outside, they look like Batmobiles. Inside, however, they look like NASCAR race cars.

specs for the "Race version"

2.5 tons
9 feet 4 inches wide
15 feet long
HOOSIER racetrack tires on front
4 Rear 44 inch SUPER SWAMPERS, a Four wheel drive conversion component
0-60 in 5.6 seconds. Under full acceleration, the car could actually rise up on its front "legs" while the front wheels stayed planted on the ground creating an effect like a giant spider.
500 hp 5.7-liter Chevy V8 engine

So why'd they build four complete Batmobile race cars? There were two reasons. First, the team expected there to be accidents and wanted to have multiple cars in case one or two wrecked. Think about it: These cars have the ability to go 100 mph but have hand levers to help turn corners. They also are called on to jump 30 feet. Accidents seemed likely. The good news is that no accidents actually occurred* The six months of training and the drivers' skill really paid off(*if you ignore the incident in which a driver rear-ended one of the Batmobiles as the four cars were moving to a new location).

Two of the four cars are special. One is the flap version. It has all of the hydraulics and flaps to handle the close-up shots where the car is "flying." The other is the jet version. Nathan didn't want to "add on" the jet flame with a computer -- he wanted a real jet flame. The car has an actual jet engine fueled by six propane tanks located inside the car. The team can mount and dismount the jet as needed for filming.

There is also another car for the scenes where the "Caped Crusader" pulls up and gets out. It has several unique features. It is loaded with hydraulics to make the opening and closing of the cockpit happen in a realistic way. It has a small electric motor that lets the car drive forward, but there is no massive V-8 engine and no need for the car to drive at a high speed. Plus there is 1:5 scale miniature version which has a electric motor to propel it. this is the version for the roof top scenes.

The Batmobile is real. Every single time you see the Batmobile in the movie, you are seeing a real, physical object, not a computer-generated graphic. Whether it is driving on city streets at 100 mph, landing in the Batcave or pulling up to the scene of a crime, what you're looking at is a real car. When the Batmobile flies 30 feet through the waterfall to land in the Batcave, what's landing is a real, 5,000-pound vehicle. The Batmobile is so real that it actually served as the pace car for a major NASCAR race held in June 2005.

Well enough about the real "Tumbler". Let`s talk about the 1:18 scale Mattel version. To start off with the model is fairly heavy because on the die-cast metal and plastic content. The plastic seems to be sturdy enough for play, but keep in mind that this is a display model.

Not just a Gundam want to be.....

Today I will be reviewing the Gundam Huckebein MKII.....Hey, wait a minute....It looks like a Gundam, walks like a Gundam and talks like a Gundam...So it must be a Gundam? WRONG!!

The Huckebein MKII is not just a Gundam want to be. Its actually its own character from the wildly popular videogame and anime OAV series franchise know as, Super Robot Wars: Original Generation. It may be its own Character, but its roots are all Gundam right down to the Core Fighter. After you read my review and look at the pictures, you will see how the Uni-five 1/144 Huckebein MKII chogokin is so similar to the much loved Gundam.

Lets start off with the box...

As you can clearly see below, the box is quit dark. The packaging's darkness matches really well with the Huckebein's dark blue color scheme. No happy light Gundam colors here!

The first accessories shown is the translucent plastic beam saber and the included stand which allows flight poses. Very Gundam-ish huh? You will need that stand because when posing the figure and adjusting it's feet....well.....lets just say that the feet tend to fall off.

In conclusion, I feel even with its above mentioned flaws, Huckebein MKII is still a decent pseudo Gokin figure for the meager $35 that I paid for it. Even if it is sorta a Gundam MSIA copy!

In 2005, Toei released their annual Super Sentai show that depicted Magic as the main theme. Alongside Kamen Rider Hibiki, this show ran in the Super Hero Time slot of TV Asahi.

In 2005, Toei released their annual Super Sentai show that depicted Magic as the main theme. Alongside Kamen Rider Hibiki, this show ran in the Super Hero Time slot of TV Asahi. I’ll cut the introductions and go straight to my review, the Sentai Hero Series Legend Magiranger. This is part 1 and focuses on Legend Magi Red.

From what I know of this toy, this is part of a long running series in Bandai’s Soft Vinyl collection. Titled the Sentai Hero Series, this is part of the 3 set series with the others being Rider Hero Series and Ultra Hero Series. This figure is no exception from the earlier and the rest as there are limited movements available. Movements are only in 2 major areas, the waist and the 2 shoulders. The Magiranger Series each came with their signature weapons. For the Legend Magiranger Set, we have the standard weapon for all 5 of them, the Dial Rod. As you can see, the details of this guy is superb and cleaner compared to older versions (back in the 90s) with some smeared paint can be seen on various parts of the body. I personally like the Phoenix wings on Ozu Kai’s face in Legend mode. Do notice that the Dial Rod is detailed significantly well too and has the lion’s face made clear.

Well this is how it looks like at the back. All the details are done nicely and are clean. Originally, I don’t like Soft Vinyls due to their limited poses but when I came to my senses, only these guys are available for most of the Sentai and Rider heroes. In attaining more support for this line, Bandai Hong Kong has repackaged Sentai Hero Series figures beginning from Magiranger and re-releasing them to the South East Asian markets similar to the Rider Hero Series repacks. The only differences are they used Power Rangers instead of the original name.

This is how the box of the repackaged one looks like. Very generic but the text are what differentiates the Legend ones and the normal ones. This box is for my Legend Magi Red (or whichever one since I have 4 out of 5 Legends in these boxes, I got them confused) and the texts wrote Legend Power Ranger. The normal ones would write there Mystic Force Power Ranger (I know that because I have a Magi Red from this packaging too).

This is how the box looks like behind. It clearly shows you how many available characters are there for collection in the Legend line but no clear cut identifications of which one is in this box, making me search high and low for them to make a complete set. However not, the figures’ foot soles still have the embedded TV Asahi and Bandai China 2005 writings. TV Asahi is written in Kanji and Katakana and this would show that it is a genuine Magiranger line product. At first, I was wondering why Bandai US did this, but later I found out that it wasn’t Bandai US’ doings, but Bandai Hong Kong’s doing and I am very happy for this. A very interesting alteration on the Legend Magi compared to the normal Magi was the head can turn in the normal Magi but this function was completely revoked in the Legend lines. I am not sure what happened to their molds but I don’t often see SHS (Sentai Hero Series) with turning heads. The normal Magi Red will be reviewed on a later date. I’ll cover my other Legend Magi Ranger figures as well later as I have 1 with the original Japanese Packaging. For spoilers, Bandai Hong Kong also altered the design of the included Character Card and omitted the numberings in it.

The pictures show how different the pieces are for the cardings. Bandai 2007 is seen in the Hong Kong repackaged edition (the date Magiranger aired in Hong Kong and the date Mystic Force came to Malaysia). So, this basically settles the first part of this review. This is longer for one figure because I had to explain every detail regarding the different packaging but will do more figures in one later.

I never liked or appreciated Mothra until I got older and re-watched the classic 1961 film. Those damn peanuts stole my heart, I tell you.

Mothra is one of those legendary monsters of Japanese cinema. Not just limited to being a Godzilla Kaiju, she has also appeared in his own series of movies. In fact, Mothra has appeared in 13 kaiju flicks!

* Mothra (1961)
* Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
* Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964)
* Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966)
* Destroy All Monsters (1968)
* Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth (1992)
* Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla (1994)
* Rebirth of Mothra (1996)
* Rebirth of Mothra II (1997)
* Rebirth of Mothra III (1998)
* Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001)
* Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003)
* Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)

Thank you very much Wikipedia!

Classic Mothra

Despite having such an impressive filmography, Mothra is often not even remembered by the casual movie fan. Well maybe as that "Flying Bug" or something. I never liked or appreciated Mothra until I got older and re-watched the classic 1961 film. Those damn peanuts stole my heart, I tell you. Now, because of my adult fanboyism coupled with my kids loving the hell out of Mothra from Godzilla: Final Wars, Mothra is the bomb again.

This particular Mothra figure is from the 2005 series of soft vinyl toys called "Movie Monsters". It's as she appears in the 2004 movie Godzilla: Final Wars.

This figure does just about nothing. I mean, you can move her head, but thats about it. Paint detail is sharp but the vinyl is pretty soft, giving the toy the consistency of a dog's chew toy.

Mothra can be had pretty cheaply, and looks good hanging from your ceiling. If you don't have a Mothra in your collection, you just need one, on principle alone.

Three heads are better than one, even if one of them is a prosthetic robot head.

Bandai's Mecha-King Ghidorah is another entry into the Movie Monster line of Soft Vinyl toys. These things are horribly addicting.

Mecha-King Ghidorah is a cybernetic kaiju that is the resurrected corpse of the classic King Ghidorah, from the 23rd century. Mecha King Ghidorah is sent back in time to fight Godzilla.

This all happens in 1991's Godzilla VS Kingghidorah (ゴジラVSキングギドラ), the 18th Godzilla film, third in the Hesei Series. The movie is one of my least favorite Godzilla movies, in fact the whole Hesei series doesnt do much for me. However - this is MECHA King Ghidorah, and anything with mecha in it is pretty damn cool.

This soft vinyl toy features moveable legs and wings. The three heads are nicely detailed, but do not move. The toy is sold with a hanger and a card.

The toy is molded in gold vinyl with silver and red paint applications. He's an imposing figure, but like all vinyl figures, it doesn't do much.

JustinB thinks Mecha-King Ghidora is the best thing ever.

Amazon.jp

These Max Factory Guyver figures are known for their amazing sculpts, articulation, and high price tags.

Bio Booster Armor Guyver  was a manga series from the 80’s created by Yoshiki Takaya about an alien device that bonds with a human, forming the ultimate biological weapon.

I first discovered Guyver in 1993 from the old VIZ comics, but I’m sure most people remember the live-action Guyver movie from 1991 B-movie starring Mark Hamill (that’s LUKE SKYWALKER to you pal.)

Japanese toy maker Max factory made these cool but expensive action figures starting in 2005. Up until then I think the only Guyver figures were garage kits. These modern figures are known for their amazing sculpts, articulation, and high price tags.

The Bio Fighter Collection MAX Fullaction Figure Series features assorted characters from the Guyver series, and is unfortunately relatively unknown amongst collectors. While no bigger than a Marvel Legends figure, these figures can run upwards of $50 new.

This hyper-articulated figure features a body made out of hard plastic, with flexible rubber plates in strategic areas. This allows for a natural look while posing. This figure can pull off some really amazing, normal looking poses.

The figure comes with variant hands and longer arm blades.

The chest panel opens up to reveal the heart of the Guyver.

This figure comes from the collection of Matt Doughty of Onell Design fame. Thanks to Matt for letting me check out this figure!

Let me take you back to an age when vehicles didn't transform into giant robots. When space travel was new and an adventure unto itself. When the greatest thing a child's mind could conceive of was...a rocket ship.

Cool Rockets are a line of retro style space ships designed by artist Jeff Brewer and influenced by his love of old tin toys and comic book science fiction. Although the style may look familiar, each rocket is an original design by Jeff and copyrighted. This rocket is called "Space Tub" and comes courtesy of Toy Freakz.

"Space Tub" is just one of many statues in this line and comes packaged in a solid white cardboard box, with an image of the ship traveling through space, along with appropriate information about the item, affixed to the front and top of the box.

The item itself is a pre-painted resin statue and ready to display right out of the packaging. The only thing you need to do is slide the rocket onto the base. No glue or cement or anything like that is required. Simply insert the end of the base into a hole in the back of the rocket and it's ready to go.

Once on display, the statue stands 8" tall and 11" long. The base is designed to look like exhaust billowing out to the rocket's engine and is a really neat way to display the rocket in flight. It will balance just fine when stood on a flat surface, but do be careful when moving it as it will topple over if that balance is upset. To protect against whatever surface you display this on, the bottom of the base features a smooth felt covering.

The simple design of the rocket harkens back to a more innocent age and, even though it's a new design, is very appealing from a nostalgic perspective. It reminds me very much of the wonder and adventure of the old serials like Flash Gordon, etc.. The ship is simple, but the detail is nice where it needs to be. For instance the tail of the ship is very well sculpted and the rivets along the seam of the hull give it that nice home-made rocket look. The ship is hand weathered to look like it's been on adventures already.

In a day and age when our toys are getting increasingly complicated and dynamic and ferocious looking, the simplicity of things like this appeal to me more and more. Although this is intended as an adult collectible, I think the best thing I can say about it is that it makes you feel like a kid again. Space Tub and other Cool Rockets are available from the good folks at Toy Freakz.

In this review I am covering both the actual Aries Mu release and the newest Appendix released for this character. By itself the Aries Mu release is OK, but combine it with the Appendix and this figure really shines. He may look feminine but he is anything but. HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES ARE WITHIN. You have been warned.

HEAVY SPOILERS FOR THE SERIES ARE SPREAD THROUGH OUT THIS ARTICLE. If you are watching the series and haven't gotten to the end of the Hades Inferno arc STOP READING. You will spoil some of the more dramatic and important events of the series. Seriously... I can't emphasize this enough. For the rest, read on.

From wikipedia :
“Mu is very soft spoken, with a scholarly-like personality; his demeanor is very tranquil and logical, almost as if he is a professor of the Sanctuary. Various official translations of the manga and anime, as well as Mandarin language Saint Seiya fans, tend to refer to the character as 'Lord Mu' or 'Mister Mu'. He is good friends with Taurus Aldebaran, and is very respectful to the 243 yr old master Libra Dohko."

"Before the start of the series, Mu removed himself from Sanctuary after suspecting that his mentor (and then-Pope), Aries Shion, had been quietly assassinated. He relocated to Jamir, a mystical land that only those with a high level of either psychic or Cosmo power can enter. From here, Mu severed all ties to Sanctuary and lived a life of solitude with his apprentice, the young psychic Kiki. It wasn't until years later, when he met Dragon Shiryu and Pegasus Seiya, that he began to become involved in the affairs of Sanctuary again."

"Throughout the manga and anime series, Mu is the man to go to when a Saint needs his or her cloth repaired. Although every individual Cloth has the ability to regenerate itself after a battle, a hands-on restoration from Mu is needed if a cloth has been severely damaged to the point of death. In normal cases, 1/3 of a person's total blood supply is required for Mu to begin work right away. “

From wikipedia :

“Mu arrives in the Virgo temple, and prevents Seiya and others from helping Virgo Shaka, saying that this was Shaka's final wish, but is shocked to see that Saga, Camus and Shura have just killed the Gold Saint Virgo Shaka with the Athena Exclamation, the forbidden technique. Saga, Camus and Shura charge up another Athena Exclamation - threatening that they will do it again if anyone stands in their path. Mu reminds Saga, that there are also 3 Gold Saints standing in their path. Mu combines his powers with Leo Aiolia and Scorpio Milo to use Athena Exclamation against them. The clashing powers of two Athena Exclamations destroy the Virgo temple apart."

"Eventually, the combined power of these two attacks was deflected by Dragon Shiryu (in the anime, it was by the combined power of all 4 Bronze Saints). Athena beckons the two parties to stop fighting and come to her at her palace. Athena tells the fallen Gold Saints that they no longer have to suffer and commits suicide (secretly invoking the 8th sense as told by Virgo Shaka in his petals he sent her) and it was then that Shion's true intention was revealed: they came to Sanctuary as Spectres to tell Athena of the God Cloth, and that the only way to defeat Hades was to enter Hell alive using the Eighth Sense - the ability to go the realm of the dead while having the will to live.”

In this review I am covering both the actual Aries Mu release and the newest Appendix released for this character. Released in 2005, Aries Mu was one of the first Gold Saints released in the Saint Cloth Myth line and suffered from some design and quality control issues that the series in general has improved over time. The Appendix release gives you extra parts and pieces to correct these problems while giving you a very important accessory, Virgo’s prayer beads.

The original release of Mu featured a chest piece that looks just a bit too bulky and a head sculpt that is pretty blah looking. Mine has his Lemurian marks (the two dots on his head) off center- an issue that plagued most of the manufacturing run. The armor included in this set can be swapped out with the main figure to give him a slimmer look. As you can see in the pictures above the difference is subtle but noticeable.

The new pieces also give you the range of motion to display him in a signature move from the end of the series as well; the forbidden technique- Athena's Exclamation.

Included in the Aries Mu box:

• Mu (Generation One Body)
• Armor Pieces- Helmet, Chest Plate, Shoulders, Biceps, Forearms, Waist Pieces, Thigh Armor, Leg Armor
• Cloth Repair Tools
• Statue Base

Included in the Appendix box:

• An Aries Mu mini bust. Includes Two Heads, Chest, Arms and Pedestal
• Chest Armor
• Arm Gauntlets
• Wrist Extensions
• Shoulder Armor
• Virgo’s Prayer Beads

When you combine the two releases you have a far more attractive figure to display with a better range of motion. The original release is decent with the exception of the head sculpt but the Appendix really makes it shine. However the Appendix parts are all plastic while the same pieces are diecast in the original release, something to keep in mind when you make the switch if diecast content is of the utmost importance to you as a collector.

I really like the combined results of this figure and the Appendix. If you’re a fan of the series take the plunge and get your Aries Mu AND Appendix, you won’t be disappointed. I am not sure I can recommend this to non fans but your mileage may vary if you like the armor design. In general, Saint Cloth Myth figures are always a high quality release. If Aries isn't your cup of tea find a design you do like and give one a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I get all of my Saint Cloth Myth at Angolz.com and you can too. Act fast though as figures have been selling out as I review them.

Video review is below:

Bagged with a header card, this figure set doesn’t have an official name, but it’s essentially the ‘Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive.’ A perfectly jumbled name for figures of the, hands-down, most repugnant Godzilla suits ever made.

Y-MSF came onto the Godzilla vinyl scene in 2004, becoming notable for releasing relatively unpopular characters such as Varan, Minya and Gabara. Most notable of their initial releases was a 6-inch scale Hedorah, released right at the beginning of the still strong Hedorah vinyl craze. While Y-MSF themselves only released unpainted figures, the Japanese toy store Guranma, through an exclusive deal, released painted versions that were also sold exclusively by the U.S. web-site Temptingtoys.net. Before closing in 2007, Guranma released a lot of variants: Glow-in-the-dark and clear vinyl, metallic paintjobs (Which proved unpopular) and standard figures with clear components, the latter of which I’m reviewing today.

Bagged with a header card, this figure set doesn’t have an official name, but it’s essentially the ‘Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive.’ A perfectly jumbled name for figures of the, hands-down, most repugnant Godzilla suits ever made.

Godzilla and Minya both hail from the 1967 feature film, ‘Son of Godzilla’ If you hadn’t already guessed, Minya is Godzilla’s bratty, pug-ugly son, who’s regularly showered with malice by fans. It’s a fairly solid entry in the series and, despite the child-friendly tone, has some rather eerie moments, especially the ending, which is uncharacteristically melancholy. Minya has 2 forms in the film as an infant; a bulbous wire-controlled puppet, and as a toddler; portrayed by a suitmation actor.

Visually, these figures look pretty great. The infant Minya, 3” tall and 2.5” long, looks just as roly-poly and bizarre as he did in the film and is perfectly in scale with his dad. The texture of the skin, the vacant expression and the, obviously supported by wire, arms are dead-on. The open mouth is a nice touch as well and makes it look like Minya’s in the midst of making one of his bizarre, “Wah-waaahn” sounds. It features no articulation, but doesn’t need any as it can stand solidly on its legs, arms reaching out in front, or crawling on all fours. Also, Minya can steadily rest ‘gripping’ onto Godzilla’s tail, as well as on Godzilla’s shoulders, like a piggyback ride. The interaction between the figures was definitely thought out and works well.

The main drawbacks are the paintjob and the trademarks. Infant Minya’s cast in dark, forest-green, hard vinyl with gray eyes. The green seems to consume the sculpting detail as well as the paint of the eyes, and makes it look muddy. I have to mention that the standard releases features Minya in a more movie-accurate lighter gray and tan, which probably benefits the sculpt. The trademarks are typical and sculpted into the figure, but there’s a lot of text and it covers the entire belly.

Though Minya’s an enjoyable figure to have, Godzilla’s the obvious star of the show. The costume design is very rare in toy form and looks completely movie-accurate here, down to the last hilariously ugly detail. What’s distinctive about the design is the huge head, high angled brow line, heavy eyelids and almost pig-like nostrils. The strange thing is that the face really does look parental to me…

…Don’t know what kind of Freudian land mine I just stepped on, but moving on!

Standing just under 7” tall and 6” long, its cast in soft green vinyl with gray highlights, with painted details for the mouth and eyes. The inside of the mouth is a little too rose colored for my tastes, but works fine. The eyes catch light well, which adds a sense of life. The exclusive aspect of the figure is the translucent blue spines. This is actually a separately cast piece which fits flush into Godzilla’s back and creates a look as if Godzilla’s charging up for a blast of atomic fire. The section won’t come loose but it can be easily removed. The curves at the edges of the spines lack the rocky detail of their centers, which makes them look soft and jelly-like, which is strange and due to the translucent blue vinyl. All in all though, it’s a very nice effect and immediately adds a distinctive quality to the figure. Godzilla’s articulated at the tail, arms and le-

Uh…

Hmm…

Fail.

Welp. You can’t move the legs. You WOULD’VE been able to move the legs had there been the appropriate amount of vinyl to set it within the joint, but tragically and hilariously there isn’t. The legs will pop out when you move them more than 45 degrees. It really doesn’t ruin the toy for me, but maybe you’re part of the subculture that poses all of their figures delivering flying kicks and this is a deal breaker (I really hope that subculture exists.)

This is the first Y-MSF figure I’ve owned and I’m not disappointed. The infant Minya looks perfect, though I wish it was lighter colored, and the Godzilla 67’ is a wonderful representation, even better than the Bandai 50th Anniversary Memorial Box version in my opinion. Sure you can’t move Godzilla’s legs, but the main play value lies in the interaction between Godzilla and Minya, which is a definite success. I’m not sure how much this originally sold for but I was able to get it for $18 before shipping from Kaiju-Taro.com, which I think is a great if not perfect price. Temptingtoys.net still sells the standard version of the sculpts for $50 after shipping from both their site and eBay. Although Y-MSF’s figures are made in limited runs ranging from 30-500 pieces, unless you’re dying for Godzilla 67’ and Minya, I wouldn’t say they’re worth the retail price. The quality is about on par with 6-inch Bandai kaiju and I think the price should reflect that. That being said, this is a good set, especially sculpt-wise, and I’ve heard Y-MSF improves their figures with each subsequent release. Even though there are rumors of them quitting Godzilla toy production, they’ve announced on their site many new figures, including Gorosaurus and Biollante!

If you’re interested in getting the Y-MSF Godzilla 67’ with infant Minya, clear spine Guranma store exclusive, they may show up again at Kaiju-Taro.com, otherwise I would check eBay or Yahoo Japan. To check out the standard release, along with other Y-MSF Godzilla kaiju, go to Temptingtoys.net.